Jax Says Her New Single Was Inspired by Her Grandma Rewriting a Feminist Version of 'Cinderella'
Roy Rochlin/WireImage Jax
Jax is having her moment.
After hustling since middle school to make it as a singer-songwriter, Jax scored her breakthrough hit last year with "Victoria's Secret," which called out the iconic lingerie brand for promoting unhealthy body standards.
The catchy pop tune found a passionate audience on TikTok, where it's soundtracked over 200,000 videos, helping earn the 26-year-old performer more than 13 million followers on the platform along the way.
She's since toured arenas on iHeartRadio's Jingle Ball Tour and will continue to do so throughout 2023, as she's currently gearing up to open for Big Time Rush's upcoming summer concerts. It's going to be a busy year for the musician, who's also preparing to tie the knot with fiancé Braverijah Gregg.
At the red carpet for Audacy's Leading Ladies concert at the Hard Rock Hotel in New York City on Wednesday — a.k.a. International Women's Day — the American Idol alum spoke to PEOPLE about her breakthrough success, new single "Cinderella Snapped" and more.
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Last year, you scored your first major hit with "Victoria's Secret." What was it like to experience that success and see that song's message connect with so many people?
It was the coolest thing in the world as a songwriter to see "Victoria's Secret" pop on TikTok and stuff. But aside from all things music, on the side of my mental health and psychologically, it really, really got me through what it took me years in therapy to try to get through. I had this new community of people that had gone through what I have gone through my whole life, and I didn't know that I was in so much great, confident company. So, I'm over the moon. I feel really, really good on a personal level, and you can even ask my fiancé — I haven't felt great in a long time, so it's been a cool year.
You just dropped your new single, "Cinderella Snapped." Can you tell me about the inspiration behind that song and how it came together?
When we were going through storage, we found an old Cinderella book that my Nana had crossed out and rewrote when I was a kid. I was like, 'I have to write a song about this.' I wanted to write a version of Cinderella where she got cheated on the way I got cheated on, and she snaps, burns the castle down, and all the Disney princesses rally together with different priorities than just getting married — or getting chosen to be married. So, they kind of all snap. It's been pretty cool so far.
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I love that you made that song while you're also getting married.
Oh yeah, right? Go figure. I'm like, 'What kind of idiot would go get married?' It's fine. He's a major feminist!
This uplifting event is for International Women's Day. What makes you feel most empowered when you're performing?
It's a very cool experience when there are people singing words to my songs that I wrote in my living room. It's the coolest thing in the world when girls' dads are there with their daughters, just singing with them and putting them on their shoulders. I think the coolest part about singing live is being able to break it down on piano. A lot of times you have a band, and it's all pretty mapped out with tracks, this and that. But when I get to sit down on piano in an intimate setting is when I really get to communicate with people in the room. We're almost all performing, so it's awesome.
